Improvement in padlocks



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

`OYRUS W. SALADEE, OF NEWARK, OHIO.

IMPROVEMENT IN PADLOCKS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 56,616, dated July 24,1866.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, OYRUS W. SALADEE, of Newark, county of Licking', inthe State ot' Ohio, have invented a new and Improved Mode ofConstructing Padlocks; and I hereby declare that the following is a fulland exact description of the same, reference being had to theaccompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon.

In the drawings, Figure 1 represents a front view of the lock with thecover removed, showing the general arrangement and construction of theseveral parts of the same. Fig. 2 is a front or top View ofthe cover ofthe lock, showing the arrangement of the key-plate A 1. Fig. 3 is areversed view of the cover shown by Fig. 2, representing' thearrangement of the guard It, attached to the under side of keyplate A 1,ward S, and the device for operating the key-hole cover T by means oftheend of the spring J 1; and Fig. 4 represents the key ofthe lock.

The very material additional expense of our present class ofspring-padlocks over the common sliding-bar looks now in general useholds in check that general demand for the spring-locks which would becreated if they were so simplified in their construction and cheapenedin their manufacture as to compete in the market with the common lock.

While, therefore, the great object I have in view in my invention hereinpresented is to cheapen the manufacture of spring-padlocks, I at thesame time retain all of the advantages now boasted of in the bestconstructed springpadlocks of which I have any knowledge.

So extremely simple of construction is the spring-lock herein shown anddescribed that it is virtually composed (independent of the frame, key,and hasp) of but three pieces-the lock-plate B, shield-plate A, and thesingle spring J. This arrangement of three parts will compose the mostcomplicated lock that can be made under my invention.

I propose manufacturing a cheaper grade of lock than here shown,consisting of simply the lock-plate B and spring J-two pieces only-bydiscarding the use of the shield-plate A, as hereinafter described.

The lock-plate B, Fig. 1, and as shown by dotted lines in Fig. 2, havingthe key-stud H passing through it, is substantially the same arrangementshown in my former application, marked A37 The arrangement andconstruction of the lock here shown are as follows:

The common frame and hasp of the padlock now in general use I adopt inthis lock. y The lock-plate B is formed into shape either by beingcastor stamped from sheet metal, to the front lower edge of which isrigidly secured the stud F, Fig. 1, and a hole through the center forthe key-stud I-I to pass through. This plate B is now dropped over thekey-stud H.

A shield-plate, A, is now formed, as shown by Fig. 1 in yellow shadings,which also` is made to drop over the key-stud and rest on the topsurface of the lock-plate B. The plate A has cut through it a slot, d 1,of such pro portion as to admit of the upward motion of the stud F whenthe lock-plate B is thrown back 5 and the upper en d of this slot is toserve as a stop for the stud F. To the-right in the shield-'plate A iscut the key-slot D, of any form-that will admit of the action of the keytherein, and at the same time protect the back edge of the lock-plate Bfrom being operated upon by any instrument which may be introducedthrough the key-hole for the purpose of picking the lock.

lnow form the spring J out ofa single piece of brass or steel wire ofthe requisite strength, and bend it into such shape around the studs Eand F that where it rests against the stud F the spring shall tend inthe direction of the line 5, and thus keep the lockfplate B at B 1pressed firmly into the eye of the hasp G, the lower end of the spring Jat J 1 to have a downward tendency in the direction of line 7, so as topress firmly against the stud N, Fig. 3, and thereby keep the key-holecover T in position over the hole when the key is withdrawn from thelock, and the upper end of the spring J to have an upward tendencyagainst the lock end of the hasp C, in the direction of the line 6, sothat the hasp shall be thrown up out of the lock when the hook B 1 ofthe lock-plate B is thrown back. l

All spring-padlocks, so far as I know, have a combination of separatesprings by which to accomplish what I perform by the peculiararrangement of this single spring J.

I do not confine or limit my claim to the precise arrangement here shownof this sin glc spring J, nor do I limit myself to the use of wire fromwhich to make this spring, as it may be formed of various shapes andplaced in the lock in a variety of ways, and may as readily be formed ofa thin flat piece of steel as of wire.

Where it is not desirable to operate the keyhole cover T in the cheapestclass of locks, this spring J need not extend up past the stud F to formthe end J l for that purpose.

Now, to prevent taking hold of the stud F with an instrument introducedthrough the key-hole to throw back the lock-plate B, and thereby pickthe lock, I place a guard, R, around the left side of the key-hole (seeFig. 3 and dotted lines in Fig. 2) of sufficient depth to rest againstthe plate A when the lid, Fig. 2, is in position. This guard may be castsolid with the key-plate A l, Fig. 2, or rigidly attached to the underside of the cover, Fig. 3, orin any other convenient manner.

The construction or arrangement of the key, Fig. 4, and its operationupon the lock-plate B, I will now describe: The peculiar form of theright-hand edge of the lock-plate B, as indicated by the dotted lines S8, obviates the necessity of any acute angle, notch, or hook againstwhich to rest the key for the purpose of unlocking the lock, as is nowthe universal practice of all lock makers and manufacturers.

It will be seen that the only assailable point to pick this lock isthrough the key-slot D of the shield-plate A. The instrument, bein gfirst passed through the key-hole of the lock, can effect nothing towardpicking it at any point it can be made to bear. Should the instrument beprovided with a hook on the end with which to reach in under the plate Ato get at the lock-plate B through the key-slot D, it will availnothing, because the point of contactof the instrument with thelock-plate presents no surface that can be taken hold of 5 and then, asif to render the experiment of picking this lock still moreimpracticable, the arrangement of the wards 9 and 10, Fig. l, secured tothe shield-plate A, over which the key fits and passes, is directly inthe way of any instrument which may be introduced into the lock. Thenovelty of placing the lower wards in the lock upon the shield-plateAand immediately over the tumbler or look-plate B serves to render thepicking of the lock more difficult than if secured to the back of thelock and by the side of the tumbler, as is the case in all otherpadlocks now in general use.

The key, Fig. 4, of this lock, when a shieldplate, A, is used, has, inaddition to the ordinary wards 3 and 4, a hook, l 2, the point of whichturns inward toward the center of the hole in the key. The open space 2of this hook is the same as the thickness of the shieldplate, whichlatter is made to pass through it when the key is in action.

To open this lock the key is dropped into the key-hole and turned backuntil it reaches the highest point of the slot D, when it passes downthrough the plate A and is turned back toward the opposite end of theslot until the hook comes in contact with the lock-plate B at or aboutthe point indicated by line K, when the lock-plate B is drawn back andthe lock end of the hasp thrown up out of the lock by the spring J.

In the cheaper class of locks of this kind, where the shield-plate isomitted, the slot 2 in the hook .l of the key is not needed. In everyother respect, however, the operation of the key upon the plate B is thesame as if the shield-plate A were employed.

The key-hole cover T is acted upon by the lower end of the spring J at Jl, Fig. 1. On the inside of the cover, Fig. 2, I place the plate n, (seeFig. 3,) to which is riveted the key-hole cover T. This plate t hasstuds N, against which the end J l of the spring J presses.

0 and X are studs secured to the cover of the lock, to serve as stopsfor the end of the plate 'v when the key-hole cover T is sprung eitherone way or the other.

The keys for these locks may be varied so that one key will not lit andoperate any lock but the 011e for which it is designed by a slightvariation of the position and shape of the key-slot D, also, by the useof a Variety of thicknesses of the shield-plates A and lockplates B, andby altering the position of the wards 9 and l0, as well as a variationof position of the ward S in the key-plate A l, Figs. 2 and 3.

The arrangement of the 'shield-plate A may be applied to the commonsliding-bar padlock with the same advantage as to the one here shown.Therefore I do not limit my claim to the use of this shield-plate in thelock here shown, as l intend using it in all padlocks wherein additionalsafety is desirable.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, anddesire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

l. The shield-plate A, with key-slot D, in combination with thelock-plate B and spring J, constructed and operating as described, andfor the purposes set forth.

2. The stud F and spring J, as arranged in combination with thelock-plate B, and slot d', and hasp C, and cover T of the key-hole,operating as described, and for the purposes set forth.

3. Arranging the wards 9 and l() on Athe shield-plate A, for thepurposes set forth, and operating as speciiied.

4. The key, constructed with hook 1, as described, in combination withkey-slot D, and lock-plate B, and spring J, constructed and operating'as set forth.

5. The stud F, or its equivalent, in combination with the lock-plate Band spring J, in the manner and for the purpose substantially as shownand described.

CYRUS W. SALADEE.

Vitnesses E. A. SALADEE, FRANK. P. ROTH.

